Lots of raw food folks report their hair getting thicker. Not me. I am thinning and I am female, so this is concerning me a lot. I have had VERY thick hair my whole life, but in just the last few months I notice that it is definitely thinning.

I have been eating raw foods for 10 months. Could I be missing something from my diet that would have that effect?

I'm 55, although I don't think it's related to age, but maybe it is?

Any ideas as to what I could/should do?


My favorite raw vegan

Mal-nutrition can cause hair loss, and from what I've researched it seems its not uncommon for people on the raw, or even normal vegetarian or vegan diets to face that problem if they dont make sure they are getting all of their nutritional needs met, which can be done from what Ive seen on a raw diet, as long as one has enough variety available to them, and a few different supplements... a nutritionist might be worth getting a consult with, also parasites are possible as well, my uncle jay had a similar problem, he kept losing weight and his hair got really sparse, and it turned out he had a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge tape worm... have you been losing any weight?

When my thyroid became underactive my hair fell out in worrying quantities.

the thyroid is the most likely possibility, are you consuming seaweeds if not you have no source of iodine which will cause your thyroid to become underactive.

so many raw people believe all they need is fruit and vegetables but its not the case sadly. Unless you were to eat masses of strawberries which are the only other source of iodine.

have some thyroid bloodwork done.

Trive,

Agree about thyroid being the likely culprit. Also, make sure you are eating enough foods with B vitamins and silica[beets, leafy greens]. There is an outside chance that your are in a mild detox phase; you be the judge. Good luck with this.

Estrogen issues? I know that as women hit menopause, this seems to occur.

Please don't believe that is the only reason your thyroid might be underactive - it certainly wasn't the case for me. The thyroid is very complex and there are a lot of bandwagons not to jump on!!

Thank you everyone for your comments. I eat lots of leafy greens, but will check to see whether I'm getting enough B vitamins from different sources. I have ordered spirulina for iodine. (My mother had thyroid issues, so maybe I do too.) I will make an appointment to get my blood tested to see where I might be deficient. (It's the Queen's birthday holiday here, so I'll make an appointment tomorrow.) And, yep, I guess it could be estrogen issues. I will discuss that with my doctor too. I haven't lost weight in a while; I lost a lot fast and then leveled off and have stayed at the same weight for months. My gosh, how does someone know if they have a tapeworm?

Other than thinning hair, (which is only noticeable to me) I still have lots of energy, clear and moist skin, sleep better, no acid reflux (unless I eat bad stuff), and generally feel fantastic. I guess I still have lots to learn, though.


My favorite raw vegan

I believe there are tests a Dr can do to find out, but im not entirely sure, im sure if you seem pretty healthy other than the hair problem, a healthy weight, feel pretty good, it probably isnt a tape worm...but considering your mom had thyroid problems, that seems the most likely to me at this time... my uncle looked like he was wasting away to nothing with that tape worm, so if your still feeling great, you probably dont have one...

Trive,

Hmmmm, considering you seem to be the picture of health otherwise, I'd be very surpirsed, on second thought, if it's thyroid problems. Thyroid problems make one feel awful, honestly. None of this, feeling "fantastic" that you speak of. Serious hormone problems, same thing. Please talk this over thoroughly with your doc. It may be nothing to really worry about : )

ohh yeah for sure, there are many reasons for underactive thyroid, but in relation to it happening with a raw diet the most common reasons are iodine, selenium or tyrosine deficiency.

The Case of the Thinning Hair
Chapter 3

Bananas are a natural source of tyrosine and I eat LOTS of them. I also include some almonds, avocados, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds, so I doubt tyrosine deficiency is the culprit. (Unless its absorption is being blocked in some way?)

Since I have long known that New Zealand soil is void of selenium, I have been sure to eat Brazil nuts (even before going raw and I still average about two a day which is plenty according to my fitday.com analysis).

(Insert detective music here.)
Dummmm... da dump dum.
Dummmm... da dump dum DAH!

That points back to iodine or estrogen problems.

I will continue to search with my bloodhound, magnifying glass and Sherlock hat until the mystery is solved.


My favorite raw vegan

something else you might think about is hair is like a past roadmap of your health

the new hair coming out might be healthy but the hair halfway down the length might be damaged due to extreme diet changes etc

hair only grows so much per month per person it varies

i experienced severe hair thinning several times from diet yo yoing and a couple of surgeries

now that my life is relatively normal as i can expect at the moment i find my hair quite healthy an thick at the roots and quite thin in body about 50% down the shaft, there is alot of breakage

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

estrogen is a big supressor of the thyroid gland, if it is menopause then bitter herbs are good to use.

bitter herbs must come in contact with the back of the tongue to cleanse the liver. They are the best way to cleanse the liver which in turn allows the liver to metabolize excess hormones.

We see thinning hair all the time and its most common in anorexics or those that prescribe to caloric restriction.

For 3 months, eat over 3000cals a day from your fav fruits and watch you hair get the thickest of its life. Get as much sleep as you can, and drink sufficient water each day to ensure clear urine: around 10 times a day.

Note to everyone:

I'm the person who has been writing about getting my blood tested on another thread (because of the hair loss). I don't mean to bore people by rewriting what I wrote there here, so don't bother reading it if you've read about it elsewhere.

durian rider,

I appreciate you giving me some advice and know that you have helped many people, but I have been eating HUGE amounts of fruit on an almost 100% raw diet for over a year. I pee often, although I'd say it's usually about seven or eight times a day. I have had really thick hair all my life on a SAD diet, so it is disturbing to me to be losing hair on a raw diet.

As I wrote, I recently decided to get my blood tested to see where I might be deficient. I wondered about Vitamins D and B12 levels, but they were fine. The results came back that I am low (below normal range) in ferritin and globulin. I am normal weight, have energy, and get lots of exercise, so it's not a crisis, but the hair loss thing is a worry to me. I LOVE raw food, though, and am trying to figure out what changes I need to make. Although I appreciate you suggesting more fruit, that just can't be the answer. I'm certain I eat more fruit than anyone in my town by far! I shop daily - often at two different grocery stores - and the checkout clerks often comment about me eating so much fruit, saying things like, "What do you do with all those bananas?" "You must really like mangoes!" and "How do you get your kids to eat fruit?" but I don't have kids!

I have gotten some good suggestions about increasing iron absorption - doing things like eating more greens, eating iron-rich foods with citrus to aid iron absorption, and including seaweed in my diet. I just started those changes a few days ago.

I do not yet have a plan for improving my globulin levels. I don't really understand it and am reading about it to learn. However, I am questioning my 100% raw stance and am considering adding some nonvegan sources of protein to my diet, since low globulin has to do with low protein. That is not my preference, but I will add some if it's what I need to do to be healthy.

I got into raw foods to correct acid reflux and it has been a life saver. Keeping fats low has really helped. Although I like nuts and avocado, I can only eat small amounts or I risk indigestion (an acid reflux symptom). Because it has helped me so much, I have been a strong advocate of a low fat raw diet; however, I seem to be doing something wrong and will continue to search for the right answers for me.


My favorite raw vegan

ill ask who i consider to be one of the smartest guys in the natural health field what he recommends for you trive.

Can you stomach hemp seeds? They are a great source of omegas and usuable vegan protein. Pretty sure they are supperior to any animal source protein though certainly the cost is dear. Flax, chia, other seeds, do they give you too much trouble? If you enjoy raw foods and feel energetic and healthy it would be so great if you could continue on...

I am still eating eggs. I buy farm market cage free organic eggs and eat 6-8 a week. For some I know that is not an option but for me it is what feels right so for now I will continue.

The one thing about the eggs that Nubster mentions and the hemp and other seeds coco mentions is that what they have in common is EFAs. What are your essential fat numbers, Trive?

This is a vegan forum, Nubster. There are lots of raw forums where people discuss eating eggs, but we like plant-based food talk here.

I realize that but when a vegan/raw lifestyle is not working for someone as they wish it to be, sometimes you have to consider other options even if they are not vegan.

You'd think so wouldn't you? But even though that may be true, it still can't be discussed here.

it doesn't matter your opinion on veganism. all that matters is that you respect the guidelines and don't discuss eating nonvegan food.

I'd note all of the "high-protein" foods except the sprouted foods are very high in fat, having more percentage of calories from fat than protein. (although maybe I'm thinking of two threads, not sure why protein was brought up in this thread)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2010 07:41PM by Utopian Life.

Asking and giving medical advise is against the rules too but that seems to happen here fairly often.

Not Permitted on the boards:

* Foul language
* Rude, offensive, insulting or vulgar posts.
* Anything for sale or give away
* Asking for, or giving medical advice, or
* Requests for contributions
* Off topic posts, or posts not deemed proper for the category they are placed
* Slander of individuals or Organizations
* Advertisments of products, services or advertising of other web sites

But in the future I will refrain from speaking of the Incredible Edible Egg or any other foods that don't fit the mold.

I know right, we're a bunch of serious rule breakers. This seems to be the one that gets the most heat though. Best to just avoid it.

Protein is being discussed in response to Trives comment

"I do not yet have a plan for improving my globulin levels. I don't really understand it and am reading about it to learn. However, I am questioning my 100% raw stance and am considering adding some nonvegan sources of protein to my diet, since low globulin has to do with low protein. That is not my preference, but I will add some if it's what I need to do to be healthy."

What about bee pollen Trive? I hate to suggest bee products but maybe you can find an ethical(ish) bee keeper.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2010 10:04PM by coco.

If you have concerns, I'd raise them to Prana. It's his board, his rules. He can't be aware of every concern just by reading every single thread; not that he would change teh rules just for you because you want to talk about an animal product. You're also free to make another raw board if you want.

The only people who seem to have a problem with the vegan rule (it's so clear this is a vegan forum to anyone who clicks the link.....) are nonvegans who seem to want to talk about animal products IN SPITE of the rule. I'm sure you could find someone to listen to about animal product consumption in your daily lives or write an email to yoruself if you need to get it off yoru chest. For those of us who want a sanctuary from hearing of animal harm/exploitation/abuse, we appreciate the rule. It's been discussed ad nauseum.....the result is always the same - Prana wants a vegan discussion board.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/07/2010 10:21PM by Utopian Life.

First of all, this is John's board, Bryan is the moderator. Secondly, plenty of people who embrace and follow vegan principles have encountered difficulties and raised questions about all kinds of things, it isn't just non-vegans who want to discuss deficiencies and how they relate to animal products and diet in general. It's ok to question, raw food is an experiment after all and if we don't work to refine it we well ulimately fail.
I don't think wondering and asking about whether things that are missing in the diet and are primarily found in non-vegan foods means that the solution is to run out and eat those foods. I think that understanding the building blocks of nutrition and identifying vegan sources of the same nutrients is an extremely healthy tool. If humans in general rely on a non-desirable food for certain body needs, we can find alternatives if we know what we're looking for. Whatever is in eggs can be found in a vegan source or a combination of vegan foods.

Whatever, the reason the rules don't get bent about this One thing in particular is because people get bent out of shape about this more than anything else. We just don't talk about it here, it's too controversial and much too hot. Cooked, you could say...

BACK TO THE HAIR ISSUE

my thinning is not extreme or even noticable to anyone but me but I did ask a hair dresser who recommended a product called Nioxin (she had the same issue with thinning after her babies). Now, this is not a natural product but I wonder if whatever is in it can be found in something natural. It's most certainly an internal issue but treating it topically while not a solution might be helpful.

I agree with you that people who are vegan or becoming vegan may have questions about animal products. that's different than promoting or recommending the consumption of animal products, however.

Thank you everyone who has suggested ideas to help me.

I have decided on a plan and will get my blood retested after a while to see if that corrects my ferritin and globulin issues. I expect that my hair issue improve because of it too.

I will continue to strive to eat a healthy and ethical diet, but I will no longer write about my hair, ferritin, and globulin after this posting because I believe that for now I must explore options outside of the guidelines for discussions. I'm okay with my decisions and hope others are fine with me just not talking about it here. So, this is my final posting on this topic.


I know I can go to other sites, but I have liked it here and want continue to be as close to 100% raw vegan as I can. I certainly did not intend to cause issues for anyone wanting to help me or to upset others by mentioning possible solutions to some very real problems I am experiencing (despite being nearly 100% raw vegan for a year). No matter. For me the discussion is closed on open forums, as I hope it is for others. (PMs are okay.)

Now can we rewind the tape and forget this discussion ever happened?


My favorite raw vegan